Do Consumers Care that Frito-Lay's Sun Chips are Solar Powered? Apparently.

It’s getting harder to find a brand that doesn’t claim to be green. But, do they have a solar power factory? Is the rest of their energy use offset by energy credits? And, are they rebuilding a town that was virtually wiped out by a tornado? Not likely.

Sun Chips is different. The Frito-Lay product has rooted its brand in environmental causes as well as health-forward thinking. This strategy has paid off handsomely as Sun Chip sales are up 17.6%, totaling $201.8 million for the 52 weeks ending June 15, per IRI.

A recent Earth Day ad proudly proclaimed “We are living up to our name” as it recently added solar energy to its plant in Modesto, Calif. Whatever energy that isn’t used to produce its 145,000 bags of whole grain chips a day is offset by energy credits under a companywide program instituted by parent company PepsiCo.

Consumers are responding to the messaging as well as the product which boasts 18 grams of whole grain, low sodium and no trans-fat. To keep the heat rising for the brand, Sun Chips’ media spend the first four months was boosted to $15 million. This already eclipsed last year's total of $11 million (not including online), per Nielsen Monitor-Plus. Juniper Park, Toronto, is Sun Chips' agency.

Frito-Lay vp-marketing Gannon Jones talked to Brandweek news editor Kenneth Hein about why really being green is healthy for sales.